"How Many Miles to Babylon? ""How Many Miles to Babylon"" is an English language nursery rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 8148. The accepted modern lyrics are: <poem>How many miles to Babylon? Three score miles and ten. Can I get there by candle-light? Yes, and back again.. If your heels are nimble and your toes are light, You may get there by candle-light.</poem> A longer Scottish version has the lyrics: <poem>King and Queen of Cantelon, How many miles to Babylon? Eight and eight, and other eight. Will I get there by candle-light? If your horse be"
"parliaments of Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia participate and forge closer political and economic ties with the European Union. The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a confederation consisting of 12 of the 15 states of the former Soviet Union, (the exceptions being the three Baltic states). Although the CIS has few supranational powers, it is more than a purely symbolic organisation and possesses co-ordinating powers in the realm of trade, finance, lawmaking and security. The most significant issue for the CIS is the establishment of a full-fledged free trade zone and economic union between the member states,"
"all subsequently seceded. 12 of the 15 states, excluding the Baltic states, initially formed the CIS and most joined CSTO, while the Baltic states focused on European Union and NATO membership. Several disputed states with varying degrees of recognition exist within the territory of the former Soviet Union: Transnistria in eastern Moldova, Abkhazia and South Ossetia in northern Georgia and Nagorno-Karabakh in southwestern Azerbaijan. Since 2014, the Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic in Eastern Ukraine have claimed independence. All of these unrecognised states except Nagorno-Karabakh depend on Russian armed support and financial aid. Nagorno-Karabakh is integrated to Armenia,"
"circular stating that the Baltic states were still independent nations with their own diplomatic representatives. In Canada the official list of diplomats included the offices of the Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania that in the early 1960s caused the Soviet Embassy in Canada to refuse to receive the lists distributed by the Canadian Department of External Affairs. Eventually, the UK excluded the Baltic diplomats from the Diplomatic List, but as a compromise Baltic diplomats continued to be accepted as possessing a diplomatic character by His/Her Majesty's Governments. The UN received numerous appeals from the Baltic diplomatic missions, Baltic refugee"
"of them (all except the Baltic states, Georgia and Ukraine) being very loosely organized under the heading of the Commonwealth of Independent States. However, most of the international community did not consider the Baltic countries (Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia) to have legitimately been part of the USSR. The Baltic states assert that their incorporation into the Soviet Union in 1940 (as the Lithuanian, Latvian, and Estonian SSRs) under the provisions of the 1939 Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact was illegal, and that they therefore remained independent countries under Soviet occupation. Their position is supported by the European Union, the European Court of Human"
"Baltic Way (mathematical contest) Originally, the three Baltic states participated, but the list of invitees has since grown to include all countries around the Baltic Sea; Germany sends a team representing only its northernmost parts, and Russia a team from St. Petersburg. Iceland is invited on grounds of being the first state to recognize the newfound independence of the Baltic states. Extra ""guest"" teams are occasionally invited at the discretion of the organizers: Israel was invited in 2001, Belarus in 2004 and 2014, Belgium in 2005, South Africa in 2011 and the Netherlands in 2015. Responsibility for organizing the contest"
"Baltic Sea States in 1992, and the EuroFaculty in 1993. Between 1994 and 2004, the BAFTA free trade agreement was established to help prepare the countries for their accession to the EU, rather than out of the Baltic states' desire to trade among themselves. The Baltic countries were more interested in gaining access to the rest of the European market. Currently, the governments of the Baltic states cooperate in multiple ways, including cooperation among presidents, parliament speakers, heads of government, and foreign ministers. On 8 November 1991, the Baltic Assembly, which includes 15 to 20 MPs from each parliament, was"
"Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Armenia and Moldova. In addition, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan form the Eurasian Economic Union, including a customs union and a single market. The Baltic Free Trade Area was a free trade agreement between Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania that existed between 1994 and 2004. BAFTA was created to help prepare the countries for their accession to the EU. Hence, BAFTA was created more as an initiative of the EU than out of a desire for Baltic states to trade between themselves: they were more interested in gaining access to the rest of the European markets."
"so the current members are the EU states plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. A Joint Committee consisting of the non EU members plus the European Commission (representing the EU) has the function of extending relevant EU Law to the non EU members. The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a confederation consisting of 9 of the 15 states of the former Soviet Union, (the exceptions being the three Baltic states, Georgia, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine (Turkmenistan and Ukraine are participating states in the CIS)). Although the CIS has few supranational powers, it is more than a purely symbolic organization and possesses"
"Baltic Duchy, Duchy of Courland and Semigallia, Kingdom of Lithuania, Kingdom of Poland, the Belarusian People's Republic, and the Ukrainian State. Following the defeat of Germany in World War I in November 1918, these states were abolished. Finland was the first republic that declared its independence from Russia in December 1917 and established itself in the ensuing Finnish Civil War from January–May 1918. The Second Polish Republic, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia formed their own armies immediately after the abolition of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty and the start of the Soviet westward offensive in November 1918. In the European part of Russia"
"Norway, Poland, Russia and Sweden. Union of the Baltic Cities Union of the Baltic Cities (""UBC"") is a voluntary, proactive network mobilizing the shared potential of over 100 member cities for democratic, economic, social, cultural and environmentally sustainable development of the Baltic Sea region. The Union of the Baltic Cities was founded in Gdańsk, Poland in September 1991, by 32 cities, with the aim of developing cooperation and exchange between its member cities. Inspired in part by the historic example of the Hanseatic League and supported by the European Union's Interreg programs to stimulate regional cooperation within the EU, it"
"the Baltics were independent. The new Soviet Union was not strong enough to recapture them. On September 22, 1921, the League of Nations made a statement of its own by admitting the Baltic states. The Baltics were recaptured by invasion after the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact (popularly known as the Stalin–Hitler Pact) of August 23, 1939, in which Stalin and Hitler divided Poland into spheres of influence. Hitler's invasion of Poland was the immediate cause of WW II. The Baltics considered Stalin's invasion and therefore his acquisition of their countries illegal and invalid acts. On March 11, 1990, Lithuania redeclared independence, Latvia"
"the provision did not entail recognition of the Baltic states incorporation into the Soviet Union. Nevertheless, Russia insists that the international community legally recognised the incorporation of the Baltic States into the USSR at Yalta, Potsdam, and Helsinki, characterizing Helsinki as recognizing sovereign borders. In terms of the occupation of the Baltic states, the nations of the world form five groups: 1. countries that explicitly did not recognise the Soviet occupation, either ""de jure"" or ""de facto""; 2. countries that did not recognise the Soviet occupation ""de jure"" but recognised the Soviet rule in the Baltics ""de facto""; 3. countries"
"for an independent state. The Soviet governments received direct military support from Russia. After the non-Communist side won, Russia recognized them as the legitimate governments of the Baltic states in 1920. Russian historiography often cited the document as one of the main bases for the liberation of Central European states. However, it is to be noted that Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Belarus and Estonia were either created as puppet states by the Central Powers or liberated by the nations of the abovementioned countries themselves after the collapse of Germany and Austria-Hungary. The following countries declared their independence soon after the"
"the 16 member states known as Commonwealth realms. The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a loose alliance or confederation consisting of 10 of the 15 former Soviet Republics, the exceptions being Turkmenistan (a CIS associate member), Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine, and Georgia. Georgia left the CIS in August 2008 after a clash with Russia over South Ossetia. Its creation signalled the dissolution of the Soviet Union, its purpose being to ""allow a civilised divorce"" between the Soviet Republics. The CIS has developed as a forum by which the member-states can co-operate in economics, defence, and foreign policy. Labour MP"
"the peoples' wishes to create independent states. After World War I the three states declared their independence – Lithuania re-established its independence on February 16, 1918, Estonia on February 24, 1918 and Latvia on November 18, 1918. The Baltic countries often were seen as a unified group, despite dissimilarities in their languages and histories. Lithuania was recognized as a state in 1253, Estonia and Latvia emerged from territories held by the Livonian Confederation (established 1243). All three states were admitted into the League of Nations in 1921. The U.S. had granted full ""de jure"" recognition to all three Baltic states"
"the Supreme Soviets took place in all three Baltic states and pro-independence candidates won majorities. On 11 March 1990, within seven months of the Baltic Way, Lithuania became the first Soviet state to declare independence. The independence of all three Baltic states was recognised by most western countries by the end of 1991. This protest was one of the earliest and longest unbroken human chains in history. Similar human chains were later organised in many East European countries and regions of the USSR and, more recently, in Taiwan (228 Hand-in-Hand Rally) and Catalonia (Catalan Way). Documents recording the Baltic Way"
"a resolution that the Final Act would not affect the continuity of U.S. recognition of the sovereignty of Baltic states. On July 26, 1983, on the 61st anniversary of ""de jure"" recognition of the three Baltic countries by the U.S. in 1922, President Ronald Reagan re-declared the United States' recognition of the independence of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The declaration was read in the United Nations as well. Throughout the 51 years that followed the events of 1940, all U.S. official maps and publications that mentioned the Baltic states included a statement of U.S. non-recognition of Soviet occupation. The independence"
"provided by the Panevėžys city municipality, but the functions of the academy did not meet the criteria of the functions of the mentioned municipality. The Nordic-Baltic Eight or ""NB8"", where 8 stands for the number of States (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Sweden). Baltoscandia The Baltoscandian Confederation or Baltoscandia is a geopolitical concept of a Baltic–Scandinavian union (consisting of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania). The idea was proposed by a Swedish professor Sten de Geer (1886–1933) in the journal ""Geografiska Annaler"" in 1928 and further developed by Professor (1893–1960), a Lithuanian scientist in"
"Baltic states under Soviet rule (1944–91) This Baltic states were under Soviet rule from the end of World War II in 1945, from Sovietization onwards until independence was regained in 1991. The Baltic states were occupied and annexed, becoming the Soviet socialist republics of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. After their annexation by Nazi Germany, the USSR reoccupied the Baltic territories in 1944 and maintained control there until the Baltic states regained their independence nearly 50 years later in the aftermath of the Soviet coup of 1991. Between 1940 and 1987, the Soviet Union carried out a process of sovietization which"
"circulates among the regular participants. Baltic Way (mathematical contest) Originally, the three Baltic states participated, but the list of invitees has since grown to include all countries around the Baltic Sea; Germany sends a team representing only its northernmost parts, and Russia a team from St. Petersburg. Iceland is invited on grounds of being the first state to recognize the newfound independence of the Baltic states. Extra ""guest"" teams are occasionally invited at the discretion of the organizers: Israel was invited in 2001, Belarus in 2004 and 2014, Belgium in 2005, South Africa in 2011 and the Netherlands in 2015."
"B7 Baltic Islands Network B7 Baltic Islands Network is a transnational cooperation between the local administrations or governments of seven islands in the Baltic Sea. The network is made up of the local administrations or governments of the islands of Bornholm (Denmark), Gotland (Sweden), Hiiumaa (Estonia), Rügen (Germany), Saaremaa (Estonia), Åland Islands (autonomous part of Finland) and Öland (Sweden). The network has two decision-making bodies; a ""steering committee"", which is the politically responsible body, and a managing authority, called the ""board"". The cooperation is funded by member fees, which are according to population size. The network aims at promoting the"
"Union of the Baltic Cities Union of the Baltic Cities (""UBC"") is a voluntary, proactive network mobilizing the shared potential of over 100 member cities for democratic, economic, social, cultural and environmentally sustainable development of the Baltic Sea region. The Union of the Baltic Cities was founded in Gdańsk, Poland in September 1991, by 32 cities, with the aim of developing cooperation and exchange between its member cities. Inspired in part by the historic example of the Hanseatic League and supported by the European Union's Interreg programs to stimulate regional cooperation within the EU, it was one of the first"
"have advocated for the creation of a river basin commission to represent each nation, equitably distribute water, and peacefully resolve conflicts. It has also been suggested that each nation take responsibility by limiting its downstream environmental effects through reducing agricultural runoff, informing fellow nations of proposed actions which may impact water quality and supply, and sharing data regarding these natural water sources. The three Baltic States are Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania. These nations were under the USSR until they declared independence in 1991. Since independence, they have had difficulty acquiring fuels and meeting their energy needs. For this reason, they are"
"since the start of the 21st century. All three of the nations that comprise the Baltic states, which became independent in 1991 at the collapse of the U.S.S.R., have created a unique Baltic sound, that started from little to no beginnings prior to the independence of the nations. In all three nations the native language; Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian, respectably, are the dominant language of Baltic MC's. Some popular Baltic hip hop artists are: Lithuanian- G&G Sindikatas, Legato, Despotin' Fam (Vaiper, Shmekla, Liezhuvis, Andrewla) (formerly known as Shmekla&Vaiper), Tie Geresni (Karpiz, LT, Boostas), Mc Mesijus, Lilas, Dee & Kamy. Latvian"
"World War II, under the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact, they were illegally annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940 and continued on for fifty years. Under Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader, the policies of ""glasnost"" and ""perestroika"" has led to the restoration of independence between 1990 and 1991 which led the three countries to break away. The Soviet Union itself recognised the independence of the restored Baltic states on 6 September 1991 before its dissolution later that year. The organisation was formed after a decision to establish it was made in Vilnius on 1 December 1990. It works under regulations approved"
"the Baltic countries Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, the Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, Northern Germany (Hansestadt Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Schleswig-Holstein), Northern Poland (Pomorskie, Warminsko-Mazurskie and Zachodnio-Pomorskie), and Russia's Northwestern region including Kaliningrad. The region shares many historical ties, which often are symbolized by the legacy of the Hanse around the Baltic Sea. Thus, the Baltic Sea has been the facilitator of integrative processes in more than 1000 years with more intensive periods than other. Naturally, the Cold War to a large extent hindered extended cooperation, but when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 new strong ties"
"governments maintained that Baltic sovereignty had not been legitimately overridden and thus continued to recognise the Baltic states as sovereign political entities represented by the legations—appointed by the pre-1940 Baltic states—which functioned in Washington and elsewhere. The Baltic states recovered ""de facto"" independence in 1991 during the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Russia started to withdraw its troops from the Baltics (starting from Lithuania) in August 1993. The full withdrawal of troops deployed by Moscow ended in August 1994. Russia officially ended its military presence in the Baltics in August 1998 by decommissioning the Skrunda-1 radar station in Latvia. The"
"either predecessor or successor states of the Soviet Union. As a consequence, the Baltic states were able to simply re-establish diplomatic relations with countries, re-affirm pre-1940 treaties still in force, and resume membership to international organisations. After four of the six constituent republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia seceded in 1991 and 1992, the rump state, renamed the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, stated it was the continuation of the state of Yugoslavia—against the objections of the newly independent republics. Representatives from Belgrade continued to hold the original Yugoslavian UN seat—however, the United States refused to recognize it. The"
"United Nations organs was being continued by the Russian Federation with the support of the 11 member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States. All Soviet embassies became Russian embassies. On the other hand, the Baltic states represent a special case. An important tenet of the modern states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania is that their incorporation into the Soviet Union from 1940 to 1991 constituted an illegal occupation. In 1991 when each Baltic state regained their independence they claimed continuity directly from their pre-1940 status. Many other states share this view, and as such, these states were not considered"
"that also recognised the incorporation of the Baltic states ""de jure""; 4. countries that have not expressed their position in any way. 5. countries under communist rule recognized the annexation as Soviet republics legal. Countries that had gained independence after World War II and did not make any special statements about the issue of the Baltic states when they negotiated diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union (implicitly) recognised the incorporation the Baltic states into the Soviet Union. The remaining countries of the world remained silent on the issue for example: The situation with Baltics was not unique. In the aftermath"
"the Baltic states relies on the Stimson Doctrine applied to the Occupation of the Baltic States by the Welles Declaration. The Declaration enabled the Baltic states Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to maintain independent diplomatic missions to the US, and the Executive Order 8484 protected Baltic financial assets between 1940-1991. This policy of non-recognition gave rise to the principle of legal continuity, which held that ""de jure"", the Baltic states remained independent states under illegal occupation throughout the period 1940–91. The last General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev established a 26-member Commission to evaluate the"
"was an agreement to act together in matters of trade and security. Its core was the loyal nine, but the total membership would grow to 12. The difference between the 12 and the 15 was the three Baltic States: Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. They had been part of the Russian Empire, which inherited them from the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Russian Empire ended in 1917. The Baltics were ceded to Germany by the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, March 3, 1918. When Germany conceded the loss of World War I, it attempted to retain the Baltics, who had been the left flank of"